Timeline
The following is a timeline of the ''Diablo'' series. Many of these dates are based on periods of time rather than absolute dates. Blizzard Entertainment released an official timeline during development of Diablo III, its dates ranging from 964 to 1285 of the Anna Kehjistani. The page has since been taken down, but will be used as such for the forseeable future, and the 1285 figure has been potentially validated by the Book of Tyrael.2013-0815, Diablo III: Book of Tyrael Pre-Orders Now Available. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2013-08-19 Contradictory dates will be noted. The Dawn *In the beginning there is nothing save a Pearl, containing a dreaming mighty, unfathomable spirit, the One, Anu. *At some point Anu consideres itself and desires perfection and so casts all evil from itself, creating the Prime Evil, Tathamet. *Now two separate beings, Anu and Tathamet war against each other within the Pearl for countless millennia, until finally exhausted from the battle, they both deliver their final blows. The resulting cataclysm destroys them both and lays the foundation for all Creation. Pandemonium marks the epicenter of this event.Book of Cain The Great Conflict Main article: Great Conflict *Anu's shining spine forms the Crystal Arch and the High Heavens form around it. Tathamet's corpse forms the basis for the Burning Hells. The two realms give birth to angels and demons respectively. Anu's eye becomes the Worldstone, an object of great power that can create entire worlds. *Angels and demons wage war over the Worldstone, the artifact changing hands many times. The Pandemonium Fortress is built to house it, but it too changes hands many times. *After eons of battle, the angel Inarius seeks to abandon the Great Conflict. He gathers like-minded angels and demons, most notably Lilith. His renegades steal the Worldstone and use it to create their own realm where they will be free of the conflict—Sanctuary. *The Great Conflict grinds to a halt, as without the Worldstone, Heaven and Hell are left without a goal. The Creation of Sanctuary *After forming Sanctuary, Inarius and Lilith mate and created offspring called nephalem. Other renegade angels and demons did likewise. Thus were born those who would later be known as the Ancients, whom all humans are distant descendants. *The renegade angels and demons fear the power of the nephalem and consider exterminating them all. Lilith is driven into a mad frenzy at this prospect of her children being exterminated, so kills every single renegade angel and demon in Sanctuary except for her once lover Inarius. *Inarius is horrified by Lilith's actions but can't bring himself to kill her, so banishes her from Sanctuary into the Void. *Inarius twists the powers of the Worldstone to weaken the powers of the nephalem over the next generations until no special powers remain. Thus emerges the race of humanity, which bears no knowledge of its birthright. The Birth of Civilization *Millennia pass and humankind begins to populate the world, giving rise to various civilizations. Most notable of these is Kehjan, where the Mage Clans study magic. *The Vizjerei succeed in summoning a demon into the mortal realm, and repeat the process numerous times. This alerts the Prime Evils of Sanctuary's existance. Sensing the latent power within humanity, the Prime Evils plot to subvert humanity into their servants to use against the High Heavens. The Triune is formed as a front for their efforts of conversion. *Faith in the Triune spreads, its true purpose unknown to all bar its highest ranking members. Inarius, recognising the Triune for what it is and fearful of what should happen if Heaven discovers Sanctuary, forms the Cathedral of Light, to counter the Triune. Thus begins the Sin War, as Hell and Inarius subtlely battle for control over the masses. The Sin War Main article: Sin War *The Sin War continues as both the Triune and Cathedral of Light grow in power. c. -1741 *A simple farmer, Uldyssian, is dragged into the conflict between the Triune and Cathedral of Light cults, when Lilith, who somehow manages to return from the Void, unlocks the hidden nephalem powers within him. She plans to use him as a slave against Inarius. *Uldyssian and his followers give rise to the Edyrem. The group sets out to dismantle both the Triune and Cathedral and end their dominance. In the process, the High Heavens learn of the existance of Sanctuary and humanity.Scales of the Serpent *The Triune and Cathedral are destroyed, Lilith cast back to the Void, and the Worldstone is altered, removing Inarius's 'blanket' over humanity's potential. However, the High Heavens invade Sanctuary, seeking to eradicate the "abomination" of humanity. The Burning Hells openly invade as well, and thus begins a three-way battle between the Heavenly Host, Demonic Legion, and Edyrem.The Veiled Prophet *Uldyssian becomes more powerful than angel or demon after unlocking his full nephalem power, but he realizes he is losing his humanity and decides to sacrifice himself to expel both Heaven and Hell from Sanctuary. The release of energy strips the Edyrem of their powers and resets the Worldstone to the state Inarius left it in. *The Angiris Council votes on the issue of Sanctuary. Tyrael, moved by Uldyssian's sacrifice, makes the deciding vote that spares both. The Council subsequently makes a pact with Mephisto that both Heaven and Hell will recognize Sanctuary as its own realm, that humanity will be left free to choose its own path between Order and Chaos. To seal the deal, Mephisto is given Inarius as a slave, to be tortured for all eternity. *Thus ends the Sin War. Only a few select individuals recall the events of Uldyssian's uprising. The Age of Magic *In the decades following the Sin War, Kehjan renames itself Kehjistan, seeking to distance itself from the events of the conflict. Mages that retained their memories declare that no mage must ever again summon a demon into the world, that humanity must remain free of angelic and demonic influence. The Vizjerei, Ennead, and Ammuit clans are left as the dominant mage clans. *Popular religions are suppressed by the mage clans, who reason that it was faith that sparked the Sin War. The culture of the East shifts to one that relies on the empirical and quantifiable for guidance, and the mage clans come to be a respected body. c. -748 *Ureh disapears from Sanctuary. The Mage Clan Wars Main article: Mage Clan Wars *It is discovered that the Vizjerei have broken their pact to not summon demons. Conflict errupts between the clans, which leads to the Mage Clan Wars. c. -715 *The Vizjerei discover the Umbaru. The Vizjerei, desiring demon-possessed victims to battle against their enemies, seek to turn the Umbaru into their servants. c. -705 *By this point in time, several Umbaru clans are at war with the Vizjerei. Although primitive, the Umbaru are able to keep the mages at bay with their use of the terrain and shear ferrocity. c. -515 *Umbaru capture a Vizjerei mage and attempt to use their now demon-possessed breathren against the Vizjerei themselves. However, they fall under the sway of the demon Zagraal and become the khazra. c. -215 *The leader of the Hand of the Prophet forsees a conflict that will occur 1500 years into the future. He places the group's sisterhood into a magical slumber, where they will awake to aid heroes in the future age.Enchantress - Game Guide - Diablo III. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2013-04-07 End of the Wars *The final battle of the Mage Clan Wars occurs between the brothers Horazon, Bartuc, and their respective forces. Bartuc is killed and the city of Viz-jun destroyed. *Fallout from the conflict occurs as the people turn against the mages. Some mage clans (including the Vizjerei) survive, but in diminished form. Numerous tomes of lore are destroyed, the order of the Viz-jaq'taar is formed to deal with rogue mages, and laws are passed forbidding the use of magic. The Age of Magic thus comes to be replaced with the Age of Faith. The Age of Faith *In the centuries following the Mage Clan Wars, having seen the havoc magic can bring, more and more people begin embracing faith as the basis for their lives. Numerous religions spring up during this period. *Akarat sees a vision while on Xiansai and attributes it to an angel named Yaerius. He gains supposed insight into the universe, reality, and humankind itself as an ascended power. Preaching the virtues of the Light, he gains a following in the numerous cities he visits. *Akarat disapears in the jungles of Kehjistan. His teachings are subsequently formalized into a religion named Zakarum, which becomes Sanctuary's most influential religion. Intervening Years *At some point, the Anna Kehjistani is formed. Dates go upwards in number from this point.Diablo Timeline c. 285 *By this point, the nephalem are believed to be extinct, though this is not entirely accurate. c. 264 *Aranoch is ravaged by conflict.Diablo II, The Secret of the Vizjerei 302 *The demon Assur is killed by the hero Siggard. Entsteig is left untroubled by demonic incursion for at least two centuries.Demonsbane c. 885 *Ore is discovered in the Stinging Wings. The town of Alcarnus is quickly established as the center of all mining in the area. The Dark Exile Main article: Dark Exile 964 *Led by the Lesser Evils, a vast majority of Hell's denizens rise up against the Prime Evils in a rebellion that culminates in the Dark Exile. As a result of this coup de ta, the Three Brothers are forcibly exiled to Sanctuary. 999 *A good year to party, according to Gheed.Diablo II, The Sightless Eye c. 1004 *The archangel Tyrael gathers together mortal heroes to create the Horadrim. He bestows the soulstones upon them and tasks them with tracking down and imprisoning the Prime Evils. 1009 *Mephisto is captured near the jungles of Kehjistan and imprisoned under a Zakarum temple in what will eventually become Kurast. 1010 *Baal is tracked to the desert near Lut Gholein. Tal Rasha, the leader of the Horadrim, sacrifices himself to capture Baal in a damaged soulstone. 1019 *Diablo is finally captured by a group of Horadrim monks led by Jered Cain. The monks bury Diablo's soulstone near the river Talsande in Khanduras, and a Horadric monastery with a network of catacombs is built over the burial spot. 1025 *The town of Tristram is established around the Horadric monastery. c. 1080 *The Horadric monastery in Tristram is abandoned. c. 1100 *The Horadrim, with no quests left to undertake, fade into history and legend. 1141 *Xazaz begins searching for Bartuc. c. 1172 *The Red Circle is a gallows at this point in time. The Rise of Zakarum *Zakarum continues to grow in power. With its powerbase in Kehjistan secure, the church turns its eyes to the West. Mid-12th Century *The church embarks on a campaign to spread its faith to the West.Diablo II Manual Rakkis marshals a host a launches a crusade to bring the West into the faith. His crusade is successful and comes to a halt in Westmarch. With the conclusion of the crusade, Zakarum has spread to almost every corner of Sanctuary. The Darkening of Tristram Main article: ''Diablo 1190s *Pepin is born in this decade. 1202 *Deckard Cain is born. 1210s *Griswold is born in this decade.The Awakening 1213 *Deckard Cain has a falling out with his mother, refusing to believe her tales of the Horadrim are anything more than old stories. It is a belief he maintains for decades.The Order 1220s *Adria is born in this decade. 1233 *Amelia Cain gives birth to her son, Jered. 1234 *Terania's mother dies. Her father, Jeronnan, is left to care for her. 1237 *Amelia leaves Tirstram and Deckard, taking her son with her. The two are killed by bandits outside Tristram. 1240s *Gillian is born in this decade. 1244 *Jeronnan and Terania move to Gea Kul. *By this year, Warriv is leading caravans between Khanduras and Aranoch. 1246 *Terania is kidnapped and enthralled. She nearly kills her father and disapears shortly afterwards 1247 *Farnham's daughter is born. 1254 *Kentril Dumon takes command of a mercenary company. 1255 *Fever sweeps through Bramwell.The Black Road *Elora dies.Diablo II: Lord of Destruction Manual *Akarat is born. 1259 *Ogden begins running the Tavern of the Rising Sun. 1262 *Zayl finds the remains of Humbart Wessel. He reanimates his skull and takes him as a companion. *The eastern lord Leoric comes to Tristram, declares himself its king, and converts the old, long-unused Horadric monastery to a Zakarum cathedral. His advisor, Archbishop Lazarus, secretly releases Diablo from imprisonment. *King Leoric descends into madness as he valiantly struggles to resist Diablo's possession. The surrounding countryside becomes overrun by demons.Diablo 1263 *Adria arrives in Tristram. *Increasingly deranged, King Leoric begins imprisoning all who question his authority and executing them as traitors. He declares war on the kingdom of Westmarch. *The Seekers of the Light order falls into decline due to the chaos Leoric's actions are stirring.Diablo: Hellfire Manual *Diablo kidnaps and possesses King Leoric's youngest son, Prince Albrecht. *Lachdanan, captain of King Leoric's army, returns from the disastrous war with Westmarch and is forced to kill Leoric. The fallen monarch curses Lachdanan and his followers with his dying breath. Not long afterward, Lachdanan and the king's guards are attacked by Leoric, resurrected as the Skeleton King, as they attempt to bury him. *Archbishop Lazarus leads a group of villagers into the cathedral and abandons them to a bloodthirsty butcher demon. People begin fleeing Tristram in droves. *Aidan arrives in Tristram and defeats the bloated, fetid butcher demon. *Prince Aidan kills Archbishop Lazarus and defeats the Skeleton King. *Diablo is defeated by Aidan, who then tries to contain Diablo within himself. Despite the hero's noble intentions, his valiant spirit quickly succumbs to Diablo's corruption. He becomes the Dark Wanderer, leaving Tristram behind shortly before legions of foul demons attack and destroy the town and its inhabitants. The Hunt for the Three 1264 Main article: Diablo II *The daughter of James is born sometime this year. *Adria give birth to Leah during this year. She leaves her in the care of Gillian in Caldeum and promptly disapears. *Norrec Vizharan and his companions come across the armor of Bartuc. The armor binds itself to Norrec and takes control of him, forcing him to travel to the east.Legacy of Blood *A group of heroes begins a quest to defeat Diablo and his brothers. The heroes defeat the demoness Andariel and journey east, following the Wanderer. *With the help of Kara Nightshadow, Norrec frees himself from the armor. At around the same time, the Wanderer arrives at Lut Gholein. *The demon lord Duriel is defeated within the Tomb of Tal Rasha; it is discovered that Baal is already free from his soulstone. *The Dark Wanderer completes his transformation into Diablo; Mephisto is defeated beneath the jungles of Kurast by the band of heroes. *Diablo is defeated. His soulstone is destroyed, along with Mephisto's, upon the Hellforge. *A mercenary company led by Netril Dumon enters the fabled city of Ureh. Along with the necromancer Zayl, Dumon discovers and survives the city's dark secrets.The Kingdom of Shadow 1265 Main article: Diablo II: Lord of Destruction *Valla is born around this time. *Baal and his army march on Mount Arreat. *The heroes follow Baal to Mount Arreat for the final conflict between man and the last of the Prime Evils. Although the heroes defeat Baal, his demonic army continues to advance. *The angel Tyrael discovers that Baal has succeeded in corrupting the Worldstone housed within Mount Arreat. Realizing that the Worldstone cannot be restored, Tyrael reluctantly destroys it. The resulting explosion destroys Mount Arreat, ravages much of the countryside, and decimates Baal's army. *The heroes that have defeated the Prime Evils return to their homes and families. Cain, knowing that Sanctuary is now open thanks to the destruction of the Worldstone, begins searching for a means to save the mortal realm. *Zayl saves Westmarch from the mechanations of Astrogha.Moon of the Spider The Quiet Peace *With the defeat of the Prime Evils, a period of relative calm descends on Sanctuary. It lasts for two decades.Diablo III: Behind the Scenes DVD'' *Over the years, merchants and adventurers are drawn to the ruins of Tristram, having heard tales of the treasures that lie within its cathedral. The structure is stripped of all valuables. New Tristram, having been built on this practice, falls into ignomity. 1266 *Li-Ming is born. 1272 *Cain takes Leah under his wing. The two foil Belial's plans, who has since entered the mortal realm. However, it is a temporary setback, and Belial remains undeterred in his efforts. The End of Days 1285 Main article: Diablo III *Abd al-Hazir departs Caldeum to record the wonders and perils of the world.Writings of Abd al-Hazir *Tyrael is held to account for his actions by Imperius. He takes on mortal form and descends to Sanctuary, plummeting into the old cathedral.Diablo III, Act II Intro Cinematic The dead stir around New Tristram and the Skeleton King awakens.Diablo III, Act I *A group of heroes arrives in New Tristram. With the aid of Leah and Deckard Cain, the Skeleton King and undead are silenced and Tyrael is saved, albeit at the cost of Cain's life at the hands of Maghda. They subsequently head east to deal with Belial. *The group arrives in Caldeum. With the aid of Adria, they are able to recover the Black Soulstone from Zoltun Kulle, and use it to imprison Belial.Diablo III, Act II Azmodan, now the last lord of hell, reveals to Leah that his army will emerge from the Arreat Crater, prompting the group to head north.Diablo III, Act III Intro Cinematic *Azmodan's armies besiege Bastion's Keep, but thanks to the heroes, the attack is turned back. The heroes subsequently take the fight to Azmodan, defeat him, and imprison him in the Black Soulstone.Diablo III, Act III *Adria reveals her true colors, turning the Black Soulstone on Leah and awakening Diablo's presence within her. The Great Evils become one, Diablo now a singular Prime Evil. He departs for the High Heavens, with the heroes again in pursuit. *Diablo besieges Heaven, but again, the heroes are the deciding factor. Diablo himself is cast down and the Heavens saved. Tyrael returns to his breathren, taking on the aspect of Wisdom and declaring that Heaven and Sanctuary shall stand together.Diablo III, Act IV Ending Cinematic Notes A number of contradictory dates have sprung up over the course of the series that have since been retconned. Such dates include: *c. 264: Gossip from Fara in ''Diablo II mentions the Sin War ravaging the lands of Aranoch 1000 years ago. This is inconsistant with the statement that the Sin War occurred 3000 years before the events of the game in The Sin War trilogy, and the placement of the Mage Clan Wars via Eirena's period of magical slumber (1500 years). *912: According to the Writings of Abd al-Hazir, the Tirstram Cathedral is built in this year. *1103: The Awakening claims that Diablo was captured by the Horadrim in this year, and that all the Horadrim bar Jerred Cain were killed in the process. *1213: The Awakening claims that Deckard Cain is born this year. *1245: The Awakening claims that it was in this year that Lazarus released Diablo. References Category:Lore